The present invention relates to a hinge apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable hinge apparatus for use with a heating appliance for foodstuffs.
It is often beneficial to utilize cookers having multi-layer stacked heating plates in kitchens of cafeterias and fast-food restaurants. Such a multi-layer cooker permits a chef to simultaneously heat opposite sides of a foodstuff. In addition, a chef using a multi-layer cooker with three or more heating plates can increase the volume of food produced per area of kitchen space. However, foodstuffs (eg. pre-formed hamburgers)often have different thicknesses, which can make it difficult to maintain good mechanical contact between the plates and the foodstuffs resting therebetween. It is advantageous to maintain mechanical contact between the plates and the foodstuff to ensure that a satisfactory heating temperature exists within the foodstuff. Often the heating temperature within the foodstuff must be maintained at a level sufficient to kill bacteria such as Escherichia coli.
A variety of devices have been used to preselect a fixed height between heating plates or cooking areas containing such plates. For example, conventional hinge apparatuses have been used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,827 to Marquez. Hinge apparatuses having multiple parts and wire racks have also been used with double sided cooking areas. See U.S. Pat. No. 2,748,690 to Lipsich et al. What is needed is an adjustable hinge apparatus for a cooker having multiple stacked heating plates that allows the each of the plates to self-adjust to the thickness of the foodstuff being cooked, while permitting the chef to simultaneously pivot the heating plates about a common pivot axis to remove foodstuffs from a chosen plate.
According to one object of the present invention, an adjustable hinge apparatus is provided for use with a cooker having multiple stacked heating plates and a support pin extending across one side of the cooker to form a common pivot axis. The hinge apparatus comprises an array of adjustable hinges formed to be positioned adjacent one another on the support pin. Each hinge includes a hinge block having a pivot aperture sized for sliding movement of the support pin therein and an arm extending away from the hinge block. The arms of adjacent hinges are formed for attachment with consecutively stacked heating plates and the hinge block of each hinge is formed to slide on the support pin perpendicular to the pivot axis and independently of adjacent hinges. Therefore, the adjustable hinge apparatus of the present invention allows the heating plates to self-adjust relative to one another to accommodate various thickness of foodstuff therebetween and permits the chefs to pivot the stacked heating plates simultaneously about the common pivot axis.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, two sets of adjustable hinges are situated on opposite ends of the support pin in spaced-apart relation to one another. Each set includes three hinges positioned in a mirror-image orientation relative to one another. The sets of hinges include an inner hinge formed for attachment to a top plate, a center hinge formed for attachment to a middle plate, and an outer hinge formed for attachment with a lower plate of the cooker. In addition, the hinges are held in their side-by-side orientation by bushings which promote the independent sliding of the hinge blocks relative to one another and permit the hinge blocks to tilt to an ajar orientation to accommodate various thickness of foodstuff between the plates. Ideally, the sets are prevented from sliding on the support pin parallel to the pivot axis by spacers. These spacers are attached to the support pin and positioned in spaced-apart relation to one another between the sets.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, the hinge block of each hinge includes a top edge and a bottom edge and the arm of each hinge is attached to the top edge. In addition, the pivot aperture is elliptical in shape and includes a highest portion adjacent the top edge and a lowest portion adjacent the bottom edge. Moreover, the height of the hinge block above the highest portion of the pivot aperture may be varied so that the arm will align with the height of the heating plate to which it is attached. A first end of each arm is formed for attachment with the respective heating while the second opposite end is attached to the top edge of the hinge block. Each arm also includes a central portion which is normally offset at an angle to permit multiple hinge blocks to ride side-by-side on the hinge pin and multiple arms to be stacked generally perpendicular to the pivot axis.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention the apparatus includes individual latch means formed to interact with each of the hinges. Each latch securely fastens the hinges onto the support pin to yieldably prevent perpendicular sliding of the hinge blocks on said support pin. To cooperate with the latch means, the hinges described above are modified to include a rod slot extending through the arm and between the top edge and the highest portion of the pivot aperture.
The latching means itself includes an annular hinge bearing positioned about the support pin in the pivot aperture, a notched adjusting rod extending through the rod slot and being coupled to the bearing, and a latch resting upon the arm and normally biased into engagement with the notches within the adjusting rod to block sliding movement of the adjusting rod within the rod slot. Thus, the latching means securely fastens the adjusting rod within the rod slot so that the top edge of the hinge block is prevented from moving perpendicular relative to the common pivot axis on the support pin.
Advantageously, the hinge apparatus in accordance with the present invention allows the plates of a multiplate heating apparatus to be hinged individually and to pivot as one when accessing other than the top plate. This united pivoting movement prevents any relative horizontal movement between the plates which would distort and damage the foodstuff between the plates. In addition, the ability of the plates to move vertically with respect to each other allows the chef to simultaneously heat various products which may be of different thicknesses. Further beneficially, the hinging apparatus allows the plates to tilt to ajar orientations in order to maintain good mechanical contact between the heating plate and all of the product on said plate. Thus, the hinging apparatus in accordance with the present permits variable spacing between plates, allows free floating vertical movement between plates, and prevents relative horizontal movement between plates by maintaining a common pivot point for all plates in the various positions.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description and preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.